Transgenic Rice Plants Resist Insects, Drought And Salt Damage
...ts to the technology, which potentially can reduce crops losses by billions of dollars each year, will be s...ercent of the known insect pests worldwide. Among crops damaged by lepidopteran insects are sorghum, oats, rye, barley and wheat, as well as corn and rice. ...Honeybees In The Wild Nearly Gone In North America
...hioDepartmentof Agriculture, more than 90 American crops valued at more than$9 billion depend on bees for pollination. The two mighty mite culprits -- the microscopic tracheal miteand the larger varroa mite -- are invader species that made theirway into the United States in the mid- to late '80s. Trachealm...Study Examines How Mechanisms Evolve To Regulate Bee Development
... which pollinate almost$15 billion of agricultural crops annually, said Gene Robinson, a professorof entomology at the University of Illinois. The research, which involved a series of experiments using honey bees ( Apismellifera ), was published Oct. 15 in the Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Science...Researchers Find How Disease-resistant Plants Recognize Bacteria
...s, a development that experts predict will lead to crops that are better able to resist disease naturally. Gregory B. Martin, associate professor of agronomy at Purdue, and his colleagues found that an enzyme called Pto kinase, a protein that is produced by a disease-resistance gene in plants, works inside...Newly Identified Tomato Gene Appears Key To Fruit Softening
...ory of AlanBennett , a professor in the vegetable crops department and associatedean of the plant sciences division of the UC Davis Collegeof Agricultural and Environmental Sciences . Conventional wisdom among scientists studying plant cells walls has heldthat pectin was the wall component critical to f......not serve American exporters wellin trying to ship crops overseas, where many countries have sought to ban .... In 1996, it accounted for the largest acreage of crops (76 million) in the U.S.and more than 550 varieties. "In the U.S., wheat varieties are sele...Roadsides Benefit From Waste, UF Researchers Say
...rchers. Miller said the material cannot be used on crops because it sometimes contains metals or glass. "There's no better location than roadsides," Miller said. "They're everywhere." In general, roadside soil is too sandy to hold nutrients or water, making it difficult for grass to grow well. Importing to...CSIRO research could make male plant parts in crops redundant, and dramaticallylift grain production around the world. The research program aims to develop plants which can produce seed withoutsex. It is a 15-year collaboration between CSIRO, the Australian Centrefor International Agricultural Resear...Researcher Discovers Plant Genes For Phosphate Uptake
... require annual applications of phosphorus to keep crops healthy, Mengel says. Even in the Midwest, soil phosphorus is the least available of the big three nutrients. When soil phosphorus is sparse and plants can't get what they need, they make some internal changes to bring in more of the mineral, accordi...Crop Devastation To Be Discussed At National Head Blight Forum
...lehost crops, and short rotation intervals between crops compoundthe problem. Scientists, including plant pathologists, agronomists,and plant breeders, attending this meeting hope to share researchresults and reinforce cooperative efforts to reduce the damagefrom this disease. Our future food and some beve...New Report Sets Standard To Protect Natural Pest Control
...t science advisory panel on genetically engineered crops due to convene in two weeks, experts are voicing c...on, VA, to discuss resistance management plans for crops geneticallyengineered to contain Bt. Dr. Fred Gould, Professor of Entomology at North Carolina Stat......ough in studies of bacteria that cause disease in crops worldwide butwhose basic functions have eluded res...y lead to the development ofgenetically-engineered crops that resist a wide range of diseases. The study centered on bacteria that causes ring rot in......hniques for variousclients who sought to grow food crops in areas where conventional agriculturewas not pra...oliage but not in the tubers orfruit, ensuring two crops from one plant. Efforts also are under way at Pacific Northwest to develop plants capable ofmanufac...Corn Rootworm Changing Behavior, Posing New Threat To Crops
...veadapted, are spreading and pose a threat to corn crops this year, scientistssay. As the major insect pest of corn, rootworms have changed their behavior,laying their eggs in soybean fields instead of corn. The conclusion isthat crop rotation itself has selected for a rootworm strain that circumventscro...The Environmental Consequences Of Increasing Food Production
...es are developing strategies using GISfor managing crops and livestock in the environmentally-sensitive savannahs ofWest Africa. They project that the failure to develop such strategies will leadto large shortfalls of feed for livestock and substantial soil degradation andloss of vegetation. Practical I...Virulent Fungus Devastating Potato Crops
...he fungus is a greater threat to potato and tomato crops in the U.S. and Canada than were previous strains ...Fry says. The fungicide is the only way to salvage crops infected with late blight. Other available fungicides are only effective when applied before late b...Late Blight Battle Goes Online, Marking 150 Year Struggle Since Irish Potato Famine
... years ago, when unsuspecting farmers plantedtheir crops and the perfect weather conditions for the potato ...ate blight outbreak which turned the vigorousgreen crops into seas of blighted, decaying vegetation in just a few weeks. "Throughout Europe the potato crops...Smog Spreading To South Pacific
...erselyaffect the growth of trees, shrubs, and cash crops ranging from vegetables toorchids. Whether you're in a congested city such as Los Angeles or the seeminglypristine environment of the south seas, Rowland said, the chemistry behindtropospheric ozone remains the same: "You need hydrocarbons, ...From The Home Front To The River Front, USGS Updates Water-Quality Information
... animal operation can produce more manure than the crops grown on that farm can use. The numbers of concentrated animal operations are increasing in the basins. Moving from the home front to the river front, the studies also provide an extensive baseline of information against which planners and water ma...Environmental Technology Breakthroughs Forecast -- Year 2008
...weight cars will get 80 miles to a gallon and food crops will be engineeredgenetically to require less pest...eagricultural impacts on the environment. Growing crops will require lesspesticide due to greater resistance to pests. Other crops will be engineered touse...